Silicon Valley's Not-So-Hidden Secret: Sex Parties

Newser — Newser Editors

Silicon Valley parties get an R-17 rating in a new exposé by author Emily Chang. In an excerpt of her book Brotopia in Vanity Fair, Chang writes about the prevalence of parties where sex and drugs (typically Ecstasy) are the norm.

Insiders give her the details, and while they speak anonymously, they don't consider their gatherings scandalous. "On the contrary, they speak proudly about how they’re overturning traditions and paradigms in their private lives, just as they do in the technology world they rule," writes Chang.

A wide range of such parties exist—some drug- and alcohol-free, some not—but they are generally discreet, invitation-only affairs, and the hosts make sure that female guests outnumber the males.

"These sex parties happen so often among the premier V.C. and founder crowd that this isn’t a scandal or even really a secret, I’ve been told; it’s a lifestyle choice," writes Chang.

Guests often show up with their spouses or significant others, given that open relationships are common in Silicon Valley. Chang describes parties that aren't so much wild orgies as people breaking off into groups of twos or threes in private rooms, often after a "sizable cuddle puddle" among the larger group.

One troubling aspect is that women who feel uncomfortable attending might be losing out on business opportunities. "They talk business at these parties," says one female entrepreneur who ended up leaving Silicon Valley altogether for New York.